Suspect in West Dallas Voter Fraud Arrested

The only suspect in the Dallas County District Attorney's Office's investigation into voter fraud in May's City Council election is in custody. Miguel Hernandez has been on the lam for more than a month; a warrant was issued June 2 for his arrest on illegal voting charges.

A grand jury formally indicted Hernandez on Monday for his alleged role in submitting a single fraudulent ballot in the District 6 race between Monica Alonzo and Omar Narvaez in West Dallas. According to allegations in an arrest warrant affidavit, Hernandez coerced a blank mail-in ballot from a woman, filled it out and mailed it to Dallas County election headquarters.

Miguel Hernandez

Dallas County

Investigators believe Hernandez signed the name "Jose Rodriguez" to the ballot on the line requiring the signature of anyone who might have helped the voter fill it out. The name "Jose Rodriguez" has been connected to more than 700 ballots that were sequestered before votes were counted in the election.

The county eventually elected to include more than 600 of the ballots in the final vote totals, and the tally for those ballots was in line with the final results of the first round of voting.

Hernandez's bail for the illegal voting charge, a second-degree felony, is set at $100,000. He is also charged with three probation violations related to drug charges. If convicted of illegal voting, Hernandez faces two to 20 years in prison.